Mindset For Schools

Therapy Services For Schools

Mindset for schools programme by The Mindset Clinic, Watford and London.

Therapy services for schools are available with The Mindset Clinic through the Mindset for Schools Programme. We work with teaching staff, pupils and parents to understand the issues that are negatively affecting a child’s learning, social, emotional or behavioural development. Together a set of goals are agreed that the child can aim to achieve.

Mindset for Schools starts from the view that all children are unique and as such will be offered a bespoke treatment plan tailored to their individual needs.

Group sessions can be offered for generic issues like exam stress but largely sessions are done on a one to one basis.

The sessions use a range of therapeutic techniques such as Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), clinical hypnotherapy, mindfulness based hypnotherapy and solutions focused therapy. Much of the work with children is done conversationally or through guided visualisations.

Mindset for schools helps children understand the role they play in shaping their own happiness and success in life. Accepting responsibility for how one reacts to life’s events is a crucial part of the first session. Consideration should be given by teaching staff when identifying a pupil who could benefit from Mindset for Schools as to whether the child is willing to engage and willing to change. Part of the first session will also be spent explaining this concept to the child and ensuring understanding is gained before therapy commences as this is vital for successful therapeutic outcomes.

According to the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, (2014) 1 in 10 children needs support or treatment for mental health problems. Left untreated mental health problems can result in lower educational attainment and behaviours that pose a risk to young people’s health like smoking, drug and alcohol abuse and risky sexual behaviour. Yet many problems can be addressed and resolved with early intervention.

What are the benefits of using the Mindset for Schools programme for pupils?

For pupils the benefits can include:

• Improved self esteem
• Reducing the risk of exclusion
• Improvements in behaviour
• Improvements in attendance
• Better relationships with peers
• Better attainment/achievement

What sort of issues can the Mindset for Schools programme address? 

Below is a non-exhaustive list of how Mindset for Schools can help. If there are issues that are not listed please contact us and we can advise or refer onto a relevant specialist.

• Increasing self-esteem and confidence
• Increasing motivation
• Dealing with feelings e.g. anger, fear, hurt, sadness, guilt, jealousy
• Building resilience
• Concentration, memory and organisation
• Tics and habit breaking
• Anxieties/fears/phobias
• Encopresis/enuresis
• Eating issues
• Sleeping issues
• Speech and language
• Pain control  – emotional and physical
• Dealing with negative thoughts
• Obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions
• Improving behaviour
• Learning and exams

How can the Mindset for Schools programme support schools achieve and maintain the Healthy School Status?

In order to meet the healthy school status a school must meet a minimum of 41 criteria across 4 themes including Emotional Health and Well-being.

Each year schools are expected to maintain evidence of emotional health and well-being provision through the Annual Review. Mindset for schools can help leadership teams with the following sections of the Annual Review:

1.4 How does your school identify children and young people facing challenging circumstances? Which groups have been identified?

6.1 What arrangements are in place to refer children and young people to specialist services which can give professional advice?

6.2 What mechanisms are in place for children and young people, parents/carers and staff to access advice confidentially?

8.1 Please list external agencies that support your school for the following and briefly explain the role that they perform: Emotional health and well-being.

In addition Mindset for Schools can help schools develop evidence and case studies to demonstrate how their work has impacted on health behaviour and support pupils’ readiness to learn.

How is Mindset for schools different to counselling or CBT services?

Mindset for schools uses a range of different therapeutic techniques including CBT. Whilst CBT and other cognitive based therapies are effective for some issues there are better ways of dealing with unconscious behaviours and emotions. Sometimes a child does not know why they behave or feel a certain way. With NLP and hypnotherapy we can access the part of the brain that unconsciously knows why and teach it new strategies; effectively re-wiring it. Combined with a solutions focused approach the child can see rapid change and this is why some issues may only need one or two sessions. In terms of cost effectiveness hypnotherapy can be very good value for money as less sessions are required, results are often quicker which means less time out of the classroom.

If you would like more information on Mindset for Schools programme please contact rebecca@themindsetclinic.co.uk or call 07803 603 882.